French president Emmanuel Macron considers Slovak president Zuzana Čaputová an ally, with whom he shares many common values. Macron stated this during their joint press conference at the Élysée Palace, where he has received Čaputová during her two-day official visit to France.
"By electing you, the Slovak voters have expressed that they belong to the European core," stated Macron, adding that in terms of values Europe is not divided between East and West. He fully concurs with Čaputová in the area of EU integration; moreover, he went on to call her a symbol of a united Europe.
The Slovak president reiterated that Slovakia is the most integrated country in the region, and that this integration should be further deepened and consolidated in respect of values such as freedom, democracy and the rule of law.
"Our common success, however, stands on our ability to understand each other and cooperate. Even though we have been together in the European Union for 15 years, there are still divisions between the countries. In many ways, these differences have been eliminated, yet I feel that in mutual trust there is still room to move forward," said Čaputová.
In her speech, Zuzana Čaputová also pointed to the legacy of General Milan Rastislav Štefánik, who tragically perished 100 years ago and contributed to historically good relations between the two countries. "The legacy of General Štefánik is proof that deep internal patriotism doesn't contradict a strong European identity and global thinking," said Čaputová, stressing that she came to Paris to represent Slovakia as a country that strongly supports EU membership and integration.
According to the news portal euractiv.sk, if France and Slovakia seem like new allies today, it is mainly due to their political rather than economic relations. Although trade exchange continues to grow, it cannot compete with Germany, where the value of mutual trade is four times higher than in the case of Slovakia and France.
